‘It’s not unfixable’: New Kings Kent Bazemore and Anthony Tolliver assess new team
Kent Bazemore and Anthony Tolliver joined the Kings in Detroit just in time to see their new team in its lowest moment.
The sense of frustration was evident after Sacramento lost its sixth in a row, falling 127-106 to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich. Kings guard Buddy Hield sat in front of his locker, lost in a daze, staring at the floor, searching for the words to explain what he was feeling.
Hield was asked how the team can fight through this funk.
“I don’t know, man. I wish I could tell you,” he said. “We just can’t win.”
Do you think that can change?
“I hope so,” he said. “Pray for better days.”
This team’s struggles are weighing heavily on Hield as the Kings head to Chicago to face the Bulls on Friday night, and he isn’t the only one.
“That was about as frustrating as it gets,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “… I don’t think anyone in that locker room is happy about it. The coaching staff is not happy about it. We’ve got to fix it.”
That responsibility shouldn’t fall on Bazemore and Tolliver, who made their Kings debuts Wednesday after being acquired in a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers, but maybe they can help. Both players are known as good locker room leaders. They watched the Kings run, gun and fun their way into playoff contention last season, and their presence might help Hield, De’Aaron Fox, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Harrison Barnes, Marvin Bagley III and the rest of the team remember who they really are.
“Me and Kent both feel exactly the same way — it’s not unfixable,” Tolliver said. “It’s not something where we feel, ‘Awe, crap, we’re just gonna have to ride it out.’ We really feel we have an opportunity to do something with the guys we have.”
‘They just ran us off the floor’
Tolliver is a 12-year NBA veteran who spent the 2016-17 season with the Kings. Bazemore is an eight-year veteran who spent the past five seasons with the Atlanta Hawks. He saw the Kings at their best when they handed the Hawks a 146-115 loss last season in Atlanta.
“They had a togetherness about them that was pretty obvious at that time,” Bazemore said. “They were No. 1 in pace and we were No. 2, and they just ran us off the floor. They played so free. They believed in each other.”
Remember that? These guys were fun to watch. Somehow they’ve lost their identity, but it’s still in there somewhere. The Kings have fallen 14 games below .500 and 5 ½ games out of the eighth spot in the Western Conference. The playoffs are out of the question without a dramatic turnaround, but Bazemore said the 5 ½-game gap between them and the San Antonio Spurs isn’t insurmountable.
“It’s a long season,” Bazemore said. “To be going through the stress they are and still have a chance — only four or five games out — you win two or three games in a row, you finish strong going into the (All-Star) break and you have plenty of time to make up that slack. This league is about getting hot at the right time. This is a very explosive team at both ends of the floor. They’ve got the length. They’ve got the speed. The ball moves. They’ve got some very talented scorers. I think the sky’s the limit.”
Remember when we all believed that? Remember when this team was on the run and on the rise? Somehow they’ve lost themselves, but it’s still in there somewhere.
“There’s a lot of good stuff going on in this locker room,” Bazemore said. “The way the guys talk to each other is a really good thing. It’s all constructive. It’s all good stuff. There’s just some stuff defensively, a little bit or urgency, small stuff that’s very fixable. It’s a talented group. They have everything they need. You can tell it’s been tough and you can sense the frustration, but there’s just so much good stuff here and it’s a situation I’m glad to be in.”
Bazemore believes in them. Now they need to believe in themselves — and each other.
Tolliver was in Sacramento three years ago when the Kings finished 32-50. He knows the frustration. He knows the fans.
“They’re loyal, very good fans who stuck with the team no matter what happened, and that’s something you can really appreciate,” Tolliver said. “I know Golden 1 is always rocking, but being on the road, we’ve got to hopefully get a couple wins before we get back home.”
That responsibility shouldn’t be placed on Bazemore and Tolliver, but it sure sounds like they can help.
Kings upcoming schedule
Jan. 24 at Chicago, 5 p.m.
Jan. 27 at Minnesota, 5 p.m.
Jan. 29 vs. Oklahoma City, 7 p.m.
Jan. 30 at Los Angeles Clippers, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 1 vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published January 23, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
